#907: The Protector

Grab your AIO albums, and find a table! What makes your favorite episode the best? Have an episode you really dislike? This is the place to review and discuss AIO episodes and albums.
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MonkeyDude
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#907: The Protector

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GUYS, THIS ALBUM SLAPS.
*Finger guns aggressively*
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Carl
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Best album in the last two years HANDS DOWN!
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Bren
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I was more interested in the Bridget angle than the Wyatt superpower part. The last couple scenes were great. This adds a new wrinkle to Bridget that makes her even more enjoyable.
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Monica Stone
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I'm so obsessed with this album. :inlove: This might be becoming my favorite six-episode album?! Each episode has been not just good, but great. This is yet another great episode by Marshal Younger! He's easily my favorite writer at the moment.

Aaron Fullen composed music for his second episode (his first was "Always Home"). He did a great job and his music definitely pulled at my heartstrings.

Okay. I've mentioned elsewhere that the Perkins are becoming my favorite Odyssey family and I think it's official: they're my favorite. Marshal has done a great job with developing them meaningfully and giving them so much personality and depth. The continuity between their episodes has definitely aided in their brilliant writing. I love how this episode continues the story from "Jumping Off, Jumping In." Bridget's trauma was handled tastefully and realistically. The resolution in final scene where her mom and Wyatt help her wash her hair made me cry. I understand why Marshal Younger was so proud of that scene.

Carla! What an awesome mom. I was a tad annoyed in "Jumping Off, Jumping In" that she allowed Bridget to go back in the water to be "in danger" so Wyatt could rescue her again and realize he isn't a coward. But that was followed up on this episode and I couldn't be happier! Parents make mistakes and hearing Carla be unsure of herself and her relationship with her daughter was handled really well. I love seeing the parent angles in family episodes and I wasn't disappointed here. Plus, Rebecca Davis is such a great actress. Kudos to her!

Wyatt's plot was the less interesting of the two plots but it was still good. Wyatt's truly an endearing kid character and I enjoy his shenanigans. I thought Connie's "Looks like another kid with a crush on me! I need to stop being so adorable" line was weird, mostly because I think she muttered that right in front of Wyatt..? But I liked his final conversation with Connie. It was sweet. Side note, I've been loving Connie a lot this album!! I really thought she was in a rut as a character (and I still think she needs some sort of arc), but I've been enjoying her more than I have in awhile. She is being used in a way that isn't as redundant as it was before. For most of her recent episodes before these, she was reduced to the background voice-of-reason character in Jillian and Jules episode. With album 70, I had fun hearing high Connie in "Auto Response", LOVED her in "Unrelatable", and loved hearing her being a kind mentor to Wyatt in her last scene with him in this episode.

I'm sure I have more thoughts but I'm too tired to rant more. Another solid episode. Hopefully LCTWTO continues this streak of solid episodes.
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ASmouseInTheHouse
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The first time I heard this episode, I didn't know what to think, and I was leaning towards dislike. I really didn't want to dislike it because Album 70 has been really great so far, so I heard it again. And that's when I realized what a bad idea it was to hear The Protector for the first time in a car. I am amazed at what a difference hearing it again in a quiet environment made.

Now I'm on the 'like' side and pretty much agree with everything everyone has said about it so far. Unfortunately, I don't have too much to add to this discussion. :anxious:
Monica Stone wrote:
Sun Jan 17, 2021 2:30 am
I thought Connie's "Looks like another kid with a crush on me! I need to stop being so adorable" line was weird, mostly because I think she muttered that right in front of Wyatt..?
This was one minor thing that bothered me in this episode. (How many kids have had a crush on Connie? I can only think of one...)
Also, was it just me, or did Whit's End sound pretty empty until the pepper spray went off? All of sudden there's a ton of kids stampeding around.

All in all, this was a good episode in my book, though it's probably my least favorite in the album. That's not to say that The Protector was bad; far from it! Maybe I'm just still annoyed that the Perkins got two episodes in this album...and because I'm personally not a huge fan of the Perkins...I keep bouncing back and forth with each episode about liking and disliking them. I think a comment someone made on the Club (under the new 'feedback' thing on Bonus) best summed up my opinion: "I like the Perkins, but they are annoying sometimes." Sorry to all the Perkins fans, but that's how I feel about them at times. Don't get me wrong, I want to like them, but it's just the things that Bridget and Wyatt do (but mostly Wyatt) that annoy me for reasons that I don't have strong arguments for, and therefore will stop talking about this. I am looking forward to seeing what this family does in the future. I hope they become more involved with other characters in Odyssey.

All that being said, I'm going to give The Protector a 3.7 out of 5 stars.
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ASmouseInTheHouse wrote:
Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:23 pm
All in all, this was a good episode in my book, though it's probably my least favorite in the album. That's not to say that The Protector was bad; far from it! Maybe I'm just still annoyed that the Perkins got two episodes in this album...and because I'm personally not a huge fan of the Perkins...I keep bouncing back and forth with each episode about liking and disliking them. I think a comment someone made on the Club (under the new 'feedback' thing on Bonus) best summed up my opinion: "I like the Perkins, but they are annoying sometimes." Sorry to all the Perkins fans, but that's how I feel about them at times. Don't get me wrong, I want to like them, but it's just the things that Bridget and Wyatt do (but mostly Wyatt) that annoy me for reasons that I don't have strong arguments for, and therefore will stop talking about this. I am looking forward to seeing what this family does in the future. I hope they become more involved with other characters in Odyssey.

All that being said, I'm going to give The Protector a 3.7 out of 5 stars.
Finally! I’m glad I’m not the only person that’s not a Perkins fan. I find both Bridget and Wyatt annoying. I have not liked a single episode with their family. It sort of reminds me of the Barclays and Lawrence. And I also thought Lawerence was annoying. The struggles the family has are realistic and great but they are just almost too much! #bringtheWashingtonsback
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Polehaus53
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I’m a little late, but here are some of my thoughts:

This episode was good. Excellent continuity from "Jumping Off, Jumping In".

I had two favorite scenes. I liked the scene where Wyatt insists on helping the 48-year-old lady cross the street. It was funny. And Bridget’s line about wrinkle cream made me laugh. I also laughed during the part where Wyatt’s airhorn and pepper spray goes off at Whit’s End. Great scenes. I liked how Connie referenced “The Coming of Age” when she says, “looks like another kid with a crush on me”. I agree with you all, did she say that out loud in front of Wyatt?

Oh, and that was a nice return of the dumpster behind Whit’s End (I’m pretty sure it’s the same one)! I believe the last time we heard from the dumpster was in “Chip Off the Shoulder”, back in album 49: The Sky's the Limit. It was good to hear from it again, I’ve been missing it. :P I really liked that Marshall Younger brought it back. Too bad Connie didn’t go digging in it again.

Is it just me, or does it sound like Wyatt’s voice is changing? Compare it to “Jumping Off, Jumping In”. It sounds like it's getting deeper in this episode. I really hope they don’t change the actor. :pray:

And Wyatt’s investment plan is genius. I plan to use it. :yes:

Do people usually carry pepper spray on their keychains? I certainly don’t, and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else do so. I kept getting reminded of “My Favorite Thing”, where Doris says, “But I forgot the pepper spray at home!”

Overall, I liked this episode, but I still liked “Jumping Off, Jumping In” better. Although I am annoyed about the Perkins getting two episodes in this album, I thought “The Protector” was good.
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The first time I heard this episode and "Jumping Off, Jumping In" I didn't like them. Partly because I expected the "Jumping Off, Jumping In" to be more comedic and "The Protector" more dramatic similar in tone to "Always Home" upon relistens though I think both episodes are excellent and both gave me chills/and or made me really empathize with the characters in a way Odyssey hasn't done often in recent years. Marshall Younger is quickly becoming my favourite writer as Kathy Buchanan is currently not writing any episodes.

I'm really enjoying the Perkins episodes and I like the development and continuity where the first episodes of the album are continued here in "The Protector" but both episodes still live on their own and build off each other. Honestly, I think "The Protector" is the better episode, Marshal Younger is an excellent drama writer and is great at evoking emotions, his comedy is great too (Cars, Trains, and Motorcycles, I Slap Floor, Best Face Forward) but for some reason, it feels a little off to me in these two episodes. The episode was excellent, the acting was great, and the Perkins seems like a very realistic and relatable family and I'm excited to hear them in more episodes. '

All that said, I feel like they may be writing themselves into a corner with the Perkins Family. All of their episodes thus far have had some emotional weight or serious/sombre moments or overall tone, while these kinds of episodes are well-written and dramatic, the emotions will seem less earned and kind of tiresome if you're tearing up in every episode right? I love what Marshal Younger has done with the family so far but I think they need more comedic shows (like "Bridget Redefined" or more upbeat like "Man of the House" but with a stronger plot.) for them to be a more beloved and memorable family. I think the main problem people had with the Washingtons and the Parkers were that it seemed that every episode was comedic or a crazy and unrealistic situation, the characters had potential but they didn't have arcs (with the exception of Kelly and Camilla's very short arcs) or go through more weighty personal moments like the Barclays did in George's Job Arc and the Straussbergs did in the "divorce" arc. I think the emotional episodes are awesome but it may become too much of a good thing.

Also considering most of the standout episodes from each family were comedic, the Perkins may need one or two for the books (ex. "Aloha Oy"- Barclays, "Sunday Morning Scramble"- Washingtons, "Grandma's Visit"- Parkers).

Overall this episode gets 4.5/5 stars!
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